Posted on 10/21/2025 2:18:28 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The beef industry is battling multiple challenges: a prolonged drought across key cattle states, record‑high feed costs and the smallest U.S. cattle herd in 75 years.
Beef prices in the United States are at record highs heading into the holiday season — and tariffs aren’t the only reason.
At Oak Barn Beef in West Point, Nebraska, family tradition runs deep. Owner and operator Hannah Klitz is a fifth‑generation cattle producer. Alongside her husband, she sells farm‑to‑table beef to the local community and ships products nationwide.
"Quarter four is normally our busiest quarter, just because of all of the gifting — and it's one of my favorite times of year," Klitz said. "But I spend almost all year preparing."
This year, the couple faced a difficult choice.
"We have had to raise prices this year just with rising input costs," Klitz said.
The beef industry is battling multiple challenges: a prolonged drought across key cattle states, record‑high feed costs and the smallest U.S. cattle herd in 75 years. All have contributed to the record prices consumers are paying in grocery stores.
"There's two reasons — we're producing less beef and consumers like beef, so they're buying," said David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&M University. "That helps keep prices high."
Anderson said the effects of past droughts are still rippling through the industry.
"Drought has some immediate effects, but also long‑term effects that happen the next year," he said.
Immediate effects include purchasing more feed, while long‑term impacts include less productive cows and smaller herds.
"Also just the extra labor from not having feed or water," Klitz added. "It's been really hard for a lot of producers."
Tighter supplies are pushing up the cost of lean and ground beef — the most commonly imported in the U.S. High tariffs on Brazilian...
(Excerpt) Read more at scrippsnews.com ...
I can understand drought affecting beef prices, but tariffs? Do they buy foreign grass on which to let their cattle graze?
There’s a lot of acres of grazing land that has been taken off line for idiotic solar farms.
And the land is ruined forever.
Beef prices are beyond asinine and should have come way down by now.
The tariffs are not the cause. The middleman leftist packing companies are priced gouging and price fixing the hell out of it.
Tariffs - no. Drought - yes. South American Screw Worm closing the border for Mexican beef- yes.
From FarmNewsNow:
“ Prolonged drought is a main contributor to the downsizing of the herd, but Good listed several other recent challenges.
“The aging producer, urban sprawl, alternative land uses, cost and availability of capital — there’s a lot of headwinds there as far as getting that expansion cycle going,” he noted.”
I know several cattle ranchers and cattle investors and everyone says the high prices for beef are bc of shortages of cattle. Nobody mentions tariffs.
Scripps? Really?
...“The cost of producing beef today is accurately represented in the consumer markets where it is sold,” said Justin Tupper, president of the USCA. “Ranchers are facing historic highs for feed, fuel, labor and land—and those costs have risen far faster than beef prices on grocery shelves.”
USCA suggested many Americans might not be aware of the struggles US cattle producers have overcome in recent years, including the US cattle herd’s number being at a 75-year low, the rising average age of cattle producers, years of low market prices, operations going out of business, and younger generations leaving the industry for more financially stable and profitable careers...
Nothing pushes prices down, only up.
Over supply but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon.
.
Maybe this has something to do with that.
"Between January and July the United States imported 1.5 billion kilograms of beef with Brazil the largest supplier, followed by Australia.
But US President Donald Trump has since enforced a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian imports bringing that beef trade almost to a halt."
Australian cow market at record high as US demand hits 'scary times'
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This year, the couple faced a difficult choice.
“We have had to raise prices this year just with rising input costs,” Klitz said.
____________________________
During Biden era, they would be all happy, making huge profits.
Yes, the only imports which can rise the price of beef are the imports of beef itself.
But then, the farmers should not be unhappy about that!
Yes, my spin on this:
1) President Trump is fighting to save Amazon Rainforest and stop global warming!
2) Beef is no good for you! We need to sue farmers and introduce prohibitory taxes on beef to save US population!
Just like cigarettes!
3) Farmers in Australia and in the US are making killing!
The excerpt does not mention the screwworm coming from south of the border. I believe they have stopped importing beef from Mexico, also.
4.6 Billion pounds of beef are normally imported per year...all of that now subject to a minimum 10% tariff...up to 50% (Brazil).
https://nebraskaagconnection.com/news/us-beef-trade-dynamics-shift-in-2024
The tariffs may explain a tiny fraction of rising beef cost. However, my contacts who anre experts in raising cattle or in cattle commodities trading are telling me that the massive increase in prices is due to a massive shortage of cattle. Essentially, hundreds of cattle ranches in the U.S. closed during the China virus.
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